During a contentious discussion that at times turned personal, the Sherwood City Council on Tuesday night directed city staff to clean up ambiguous language in its council rules about how liaisons are selected and how the agenda is set.

The dispute over the council rules began in February, when Councilor Dave Grant introduced a surprise motion to replace Councilor Krisanna Clark with Matt Langer as the liaison to the Sherwood Chamber of Commerce. The motion passed, but Mayor Bill Middleton objected, saying the council rules give him the sole authority to appoint liaisons. But the language didn’t account for liaisons to organizations outside the city, such as the chamber.

At the next meeting, Middleton reminded the council that he has the sole power to set the agenda, and since then, the agenda has been prone to frequent change. So on Tuesday, Councilor Robyn Folsom introduced a successful motion that directs staff to re-draft the rules to ensure greater collaboration on the agenda. Middleton voted against the motion.

He and Clark also voted against a motion, introduced by Council President Linda Henderson, that similarly directs staff to re-draft the rules to include outside groups like the Chamber of Commerce in the section about liaisons. Henderson’s wish was to continue to allow the mayor to appoint all liaisons but also require the appointment to be approved by the city council.

Middleton and Clark said the changes to the rules wouldn’t mean much, because only the council can enforce the rules if somebody breaks them.

“When somebody violates it, it’s going to be a popularity contest,” Middleton said, predicting that if he or Clark broke the rules, they’d be enforced, but if someone else did, they wouldn’t.

Councilor Dave Grant took issue with the fact that the appointment of another liaison – this one to the Washington County Coordinating Committee, an intergovernmental body dealing with transportation issues – was “mysteriously removed” from the agenda. A previous version of the agenda said there would be a vote to appoint Middleton as the representative, with Clark as an alternate.

“I am also embarrassed that the agenda we have tonight is not the one that was published to the citizens,” Grant said. Middleton was brief in explaining why he amended the agenda: “That’s my decision, and it was made, thank you.”

Community Development Director Julia Hajduk said that the county at one point requested in a letter that the city council approve the WCCC representative by resolution. But City Recorder Sylvia Murphy said last year, Middleton directed that the appointment be made by sending a letter, appointing himself as the primary representative, with Henderson and Clark as first and second alternates.

“There’s no reason for us to thumb our nose at their clear request that we do this [appoint the representative by council resolution],” Grant said.

Middleton and Clark replied that the city has a great relationship with the WCCC.

At one point, Clark referenced a conversation during which the mayor asked her to fill in as WCCC alternate for Henderson, who he said had failed to attend several meetings. Henderson denied that she had missed meetings.

There is apparently a split on the council, with Clark and Middleton on one side, and the other five members on the other. The split also seems to involve the Chamber of Commerce. The dispute over the liaison to the chamber has been linked to Clark’s support of the city review of its operating agreement with the Sherwood Family YMCA, a chamber member, while she was the liaison. (The city council officially accepted the review by unanimous vote Tuesday and will look to re-negotiate the agreement.)

Middleton also recently came out against outside vendors at the Cruisin’ Sherwood Classic and Custom Car Show, a chamber event, though he later clarified that he "hold[s] nothing against the chamber." A previous Oregonian article about that dispute quoted Langer, who suggested that Clark and Middleton might have “a certain agenda” toward the chamber in light of all the recent controversy. Clark said she had nothing to do with the Cruisin’ dispute, and she and Middleton both took exception on Tuesday night to Langer’s comments. Langer chose not to respond.

Middleton countered that the city has been divided by the ongoing Walmart development and said “we have people on here [the city council] that are still pushing that agenda.” Some in the crowd applauded.

Clark and Grant did agree on at least one thing.

“I actually agree with you on a couple of points,” Clark told Grant. “And that is that we’re no longer working as a council.”